By Paul Gotham
With four teams alive and kicking in the quest to cut down the nets in Indianapolis, it is time to look at how each of them got to this point.
Michigan State Spartans
Previous tournament appearances
1957 (Final Four), 1959 (Elite 8), 1978 (Elite 8), 1979 (National Champion), 1985, 1986 (Sweet 16), 1990 (Sweet 16), 1991 (second round), 1992 (second round), 1994 (second round), 1995, 1998 (Sweet 16), 1999 (Final Four), 2000 (National Champion), 2001 (Final Four), 2002, 2003 (Elite 8), 2004, 2005 (Final Four), 2006, 2007 (second round), 2008 (Sweet 16), 2009 (Finalist).
Tournament games
New Mexico St. 70-67
Maryland 85-83
N. Iowa 59-52
Tennessee 70-69
Ranked teams played during the regular season and results
12/1 #11 North Carolina L 82-89
12/22 #2 Texas L 68-79
1/6 #20 Wisconsin W 54-47
2/2 #16 Wisconsin L 49-67
2/9 #6 Purdue L 64-76
2/21 # 12 Ohio State L 67-74
2/28 #3 Purdue W 53-44
Un-ranked NCAA Tournament teams played against
11/17 Gonzaga W 75-71
2/27 Florida L 74-77
12/10 Oakland W 88-57
1/13 Minnesota W 60-53
1/23 @Minnesota W 65-64
3/12 Minnesota L 67-72
Stats of identity
8.7 Rebound margin – number one on the country. Two better than any team remaining (West Virginia – 6.6).
16.5 Assists – number ten in the country. Tops of the four left standing. This is despite the fact that their scoring offense is ranked 93rd in the nation. The Spartans move the ball.
47.2 Field goal percentage – better than the other three teams.
3.25 – Michigan State’s average margin of victory in the tournament.
Kalin Lucas is on the bench with his team-leading 14.8 ppg and 4 apg. Fans of the Green need not worry. There are plenty of guns ready to take the reins.
Raymar Morgan averages 11.5, but Durrell Summers is getting 20 a game in the Tournament. Summers has connected on 16 3-pointers in the Dance.
Draymond Green gets almost ten rebounds a game.
Chris Allen’s 53 3-balls lead the way along with the junior’s 39.8 percent accuracy from long range.
Summers hits 80 percent from the free throw line. Morgan’s 94-138 from the charity stripe leads both categories.
Korie Lucious hands out 3.3 assists per game.
With Izzo on the sidelines, the Spartans are always dangerous. Saturday’s game with Butler will be an interesting study in pace and flow. Michigan State can switch speeds. Can Butler?
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